Social protection in LMICs: New Bottles? New Wines?

Masterclass with Pr. Armando Barrientos, Armando Barrientos, Professor Emeritus of Poverty and Social Justice at the Global Development Institute at the University of Manchester in the UK. His research interests focus on the linkages existing between welfare programmes and labour markets in developing countries, and on policies addressing poverty, vulnerability, and population ageing.
Moderation by Bruno Palier, CNRS Research Director at Sciences Po, Centre for European Studies and Comparative Politics and Scientific Advisor of the Social Policy and Social Innovation stream at the School of Public Affairs, as well as students from the Social Policy and Social Innovation stream at the School of Public Affairs.
There has been a remarkable expansion of social protection in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in the new century. According to World Bank 2015 estimates, around 2 billion people in LMICs live in households receiving regular public transfers. In regions with longstanding social insurance institutions, like South America and North Africa, the expansion has resulted in dual social protection institutions – social insurance for formal sector workers and social assistance for low-income workers dependent on informal employment. In sub-Saharan Africa, incipient social transfer programmes sponsored by donors have emerged as an replacement for emergency assistance. China has set in place a fast expansion of social assistance and insurance.
The talk will examine the Where? What? and Why? The discussion will focus on institution building, innovation, outcomes, and challenges.
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